


Artifact

by silverjewelkitten



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, River as a full time companion, heck yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-17 03:26:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2295005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverjewelkitten/pseuds/silverjewelkitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was an immensely ordinary night, with the distant sound of a whistling train and the drip-drip of a leaky roof in the schoolhouse. The professor sat with her frizzy hair drawn up in an untidy bun atop her head. The date was September, 23rd, 1954, and this ordinary night was about to turn into the end of the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Artifact

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to try my best to update this regularly, but I often run into blocks. I uploaded this once before but I have made some drastic changes to my plot, so I hope you enjoy it!

It was an immensely ordinary night, with the distant sound of a whistling train and the drip-drip of a leaky roof in the schoolhouse. The professor sat with her frizzy hair drawn up in an untidy bun atop her head. The date was September, 23rd, 1954, and this ordinary night was about to turn into the end of the world. 

 

The professor was at her desk, a red pen dangled gently in between her fingers, casually grading the neatly scrawled work of a student when the steady, expected sounds of the night turned into a raucous, cacophony of screeching metal and screams. Her head popped up, suddenly alert, and she jumped up from her chair and sprinted in her bare feet to the window. 

 

The streets of London were flooded with green light, and the tell-tale signs of a crashed aircraft. River Song was not unused to the sound of crashing planes, and the fear of war, but this, this was not a plane. This was something new. She smiled, a youthful glint in her eye as she ran to slip her shoes back on, quickly jumping into her coat.  
River Song lived for adventure.

 

After she rushed into the street, she was almost mowed over by a startled crowd of people, all tripping over their feet to escape the greenish smoke and fumes coming from the rubble. She was running in the opposite direction, straight towards the source, excitement taking over her body.

 

She covered her mouth, the smoke causing her vision to go fuzzy and her breath to come in quick, strangled bursts. Near the epicenter the dust was so thick she could hardly see, but as she knelt in front of the wreckage, a hand grasped at her ankle desperately. Someone was trapped underneath the crumbled remains. “Hello, can you hear me?” She rasped, digging into the blistering refuse until a man’s head appeared. “Are you alright?” She shouted, trying in vain to speak over the crackling of the burning craft. 

 

His head lifted up and he coughed, dust falling from his hair. “Who are you? What are you doing all the way out here?” he said, incredulous as to why anyone would go right into the heart of an explosion. 

 

“I’m Professor River Song, Archaeologist.” She shot him a grin and reached for his hands. “Up with you, pretty boy.” He blinked and wrinkled his nose, letting her pull him out of the mess. “And you are?” She asked, dusting herself off.

 

“I’m the Doctor.” He said, with a sneeze. She arched a brow, “Doctor who?” Another round of fireworks started up and he grabbed onto her hand, “No time to explain, run!” With the sky falling around her, River clutched a stranger’s hand and ran.

 

They ran, ducking under an awning as the Doctor pointed a strange whirring device at the heavens. “What is that thing?” River asked, all but snatching it from his scraped hands. “Screwdriver.” He answered, calmly.

 

“Not like any screwdriver I’ve ever seen.” River said, gazing curiously at the bluish light coming from within it. “It’s sonic.” Another loud crash came from somewhat closer and the Doctor snarled, batting his hand at the screwdriver. “Something is interfering with it, I can’t get a reading on that thing.”

 

River did take the sonic away then, pointing it and clicking as if on instinct. The sonic blinked and ticked. “It’s working.” He said, disbelieving. “Keep doing that.” 

 

“Oh, bossy, are we?” River said, sending a flirtatious smile. The Doctor rolled his eyes and grabbed the sonic along with her. Suddenly a great droning came from the sky and bluish lights shone down upon the pair. 

 

“Identify yourself.” The Doctor shouted into the shrouded skies, “Under section IV. Subsection III. Of the Shadow Proclamation I demand that you state your business here!” River had the decency to almost look impressed. 

 

“We are the Maktain, and this planet is ours. We will accept your total surrender or we will take it by force.” He had nary a second to respond as another missile crashed to the ground. 

 

“Well that’s not very nice.” River said, her free hand resting on her hip. “What did this planet ever do to you?” The screwdriver started to smolder in their hands and River released it with a gasp.

 

“Your insolence will change nothing.” the leader of the Maktain said, and his next words echoed across the landscape. “You have one day before this world burns.” River thumbed her burnt palm and glared at the sky while the massive alien mother-ship soared away.

 

“Not if I have anything to do with it.” said the Doctor, shooting a smirk at her. “See you later.” He said as he took off, his coat tails flapping behind him. He was soon swallowed by the smoke and all River could see was his blurred silhouette.

 

She barely even spared a thought before she chased after him. “Idiot, you’ll smother in this!” But she laughed regardless and followed the sound of his pattering feet.

 

Among the things scattered around the city, there were hundreds of abandoned crafts left behind by the alien visitors. Each of these crafts were engraved with a language River could not understand. They were solid metal shells, shaped like eggs. When she touched them, they emitted a strange heat. She wished in that moment that she had her toolkit so that she could properly document the finds. Unable to open or understand them, River set off again in search of the Doctor.

 

River came upon him not long after, kneeling beside a piece of the crafts sent down by the Maktain. “What are they?” she asked him, sitting back on her haunches to reach his level. He acknowledged her with a small noise and shrugged his shoulders. 

 

He pointed his partially melted screwdriver at the metal egg and listened to the whine. “It appears to be organic.” He said, brows knit together in frustration. “I don’t know what it is though. Maybe a weapon of some sort, or a form of life support.” He pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket and put them on. “This language is Peronian, obviously stolen tech.” 

 

“What do they want with the Earth?” River asked, hoping for a more distinct answer. “And why come to London and not the UN?” The doctor stroked his chin tentatively.  
“I don’t know.” He said as he knocked on the metal casing of the craft and pressed an ear to it to listen. “You ask a lot of questions.” 

 

“You don’t answer many.” She sassed back as she lifted a brow at him. He shushed her. His eyes scrunched as he listened to the egg. River crossed her arms in exasperation, “Doctor.” She asked, suddenly cautious, “What is it?” They heard the sliding of gears and the sound of locks clicking.

 

“Shut up.” The Doctor pulled away from the egg quickly, “Get out of here now. They’re opening.” He looked properly scared but River was not the type to back down from a threat. The final locks fell into place and with a great grinding the eggs opened. “I’m thick.” The Doctor smacked his head in frustration. “Seriously we have to leave right now. Let’s go.”

 

“Why?” She asked, already moving to stand. He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her out of the blast radius. He wasn’t fast enough. There was a resounding pop and a hiss of air as all the eggs activated. The air began to fill with white smog. “Doctor, what’s in those-?” She stuttered, as she collapsed.

 

“Peronian memory vapor...” He murmured, sagging to the ground beside her before blacking out. All over London people dropped as the pale smoke dispersed into the atmosphere. 

 

He awoke to a banging sound. He and many others were chained together in a cage. The only light came from a dingy bulb in outside of their prison. Though it was dim, it illuminated row after row of other captives. The people on either side of him were still unconscious, but others were beginning to wake. He began to hear commotion and clanging as people were realizing where they were. 

 

“Oh my God, where are we?” He heard from one woman, obviously struggling to hold back tears. She started struggling and it caused the commotion to grow louder and more frantic as people began screaming for help.

 

“Calm down.” The Doctor said, level-headedly. “We have to stay calm. They want us for something, please don’t make them regret it. It might be the only thing keeping us alive.”  
“How would you know?” The man nearest him asked, fighting the restraints that bound them together. 

 

“What’s your name?” The Doctor asked, avoiding the question. The man grit his teeth and struggled to get free. “This will be easier if we trust each other, alright?”  
“Marcus.” He said, and realizing his efforts were futile, he settled. “I’d shake yer hand but mine are kind of busy at the moment.” The Doctor smiled.

 

“Marcus, I’m the Doctor, and I will get us all out of here. Marcus scoffed at that suggestion, and shook his head, disbelieving. “If this is going to work, we have to all work together.” He said, to the chorus of frantic crying and arguing. “Can anyone get into my pocket?” 

 

“I can.” Claimed the woman across from him, sniffling as she shuffled over to his side. She lifted her hands, dragging the chain along with her. She maneuvered her bound hands near him, “Which pocket?” 

 

“Left breast pocket.” She struggled for a bit, having to reach backwards to grab the screwdriver from inside. “Click the button.Can you point it at my cuffs?” He asked, and she looked at him curiously.

 

“What’s that going to do? It’s not a lock pick!” He rolled his eyes and lifted his hands as near to hers as he could manage. “Alright, alright, hold your horses.” The screwdriver whirred and his cuffs came free. “What?” She said, incredulously.

 

“Yes, excellent.” He shook the handcuffs off and grabbed the sonic from her hands. One by one he began unlocking the hand cuffs. There was the sound of a lock unhinging outside and a door burst open. Light spilled into the room, and for the first time, the Doctor saw what the Maktain truly looked like. 

 

They were pseudo-human, with bulging eyes and pale, wrinkled skin. They were horrific. The leader walked along the rows, surveying those captured. “Humans, we will accept nothing but total surrender or you will die.” 

 

He quickly hid the screwdriver in his pocket. “And what the hell’ are you gonna do with us if we surrender?” Chimed in one elderly man, shaking his chains. The others soon joined in. The Maktain leader leaned down and the old man spit in his face.

 

“Don’t make them angry!” Yelled the Doctor, but it was far too late. The cage door was opened and the Maktain soldiers started yanking out the chain of people.

 

“These will be extracted. Take them to the lab.” And that is when the Doctor noticed a familiar head of hair right at the end of the chain. She winked at him. The Maktain began marching out. The Doctor moved to chase after them, but just as he did, the room was filled with a hazy white gas.

 

His last thought as his mind started to blur was of what horrors would await in the room next door.

 

He woke up to her face, an immeasurable amount of time later. Smoke filled the room and she was urging everyone to wake up and move out of the cell as quickly as possible. “River, what happened in there?” The Doctor said, frantic, eyes blinking awake rapidly. She did not seem to hear him. “River!”

 

She freed the last chain from the wall and people began to leave, haggard forms, choking on gas and the smell of burning metal. As she ushered out the last of the prisoners, she returned to the Doctor’s side. “Come on, pretty boy.” She grinned, like a she-wolf. “Time to save the world.” She dusted off his shoulders and helped him off of the ground, feeling endearment for his bewildered expression.

 

“What happened in there?” She smirked, grabbing his hand and yanking him out of the prison cell. “Why is there so much smoke?” he asked, with a half-hearted cough. He tripped over a falling beam.

 

“Ha, bit of a mix-up with the controls. They didn’t seem to like it when I pressed a few buttons! Said something about immediate evacuation and off they went. And the words ‘self-destruct’ may have been mentioned.” The Doctor laughed as she pulled him along, following after the other escapees. 

 

A zipping noise came from behind them as ammunition rang out in the corridor. “Duck!” he screamed, shielding her with himself. She gasped as a Maktain came around the corner, wielding a massive weapon. 

 

“The saboteurs will be eliminated. If we cannot harvest the Terrans, we will destroy them all.” The Doctor stood, still pushing her behind him. “I am General Tolteka, and your deaths will make me a legend.”

 

“Get out of here.” He whispered to her. She shook her head. “River, please, there’s no need for you to die, just get out.” She stepped out from behind him, standing tall.  
“It’s me you want. I sabotaged your craft. “ The Maktain moved his eyes to her. The Doctor pleaded with her to leave. 

 

River began walking towards him, leisurely. “And believe me, your threats don’t scare me. See, I know you want the Earth for something. Destroying it would be pointless. Even worse, it would be stupid.” She pulled out of folded document from her pants pocket. “These are diagrams I found in your control rooms, and according to these, the Earth is pretty valuable to you. And your weapon is recharging, thought so.” 

 

“We will not reveal our intentions.” The Maktain general said, aiming his weapon at them. “ River giggled, reveling in her insight.

 

The Doctor took the diagram from her, reading the information that she couldn’t have translated. “River, you’re wrong.” He said quietly. “They don’t want the Earth intact. They’re going to use it as a bomb.”

 

“Oh, I know.” She said back, calmly. “That isn’t all, though. Look at the diagram on the back.” He scanned it quickly and his eyes widened. Above them, alarms went off angrily, announcing the impending explosion.

 

“But that means.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and winked in his direction. It all clicked in his mind. “If the ship explodes, they can’t detonate the Earth.”

 

“Exactly.” 

 

“But how did you-“ He stared at her in wonder. The Maktain positioned his fingers over the multi-triggered barrel. 

 

“We need to go.” River said, extracting a device from her pocket. “Nabbed this from them, figure it has to do something. Like this.” She said, pressing a button that deactivated the weapon pointed at them. She locked fingers with him again.

 

“River, you’re a genius.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, you are brilliant.” 

 

“Not that I mind the flattery, Doctor. But he looks angry.” The alarms seemed to be getting louder and louder. “Run!”

 

They took off as the Maktain cast aside his weapon and made a bee line for them. As they ran, white gas began to pour into the room, and they ran harder trying to escape it.  
“How did you know?” He asked her, breathlessly. A window near them exploded and they dove to avoid flying debris. “It wasn’t in any language seen on Earth.”

 

She laughed, lifting him back up and running towards the exit. “They color-coded their diagrams. Basic cryptology.” A count-down started over the intercom, and suddenly, they were face to face with the Maktain general. 

 

“Hello Tolteka.” The Doctor said, brandishing his screwdriver. He pointed it at a panel on the wall and shoved River inside. It was an escape pod. He quickly programmed coordinates and locked her inside. She hardly had time to react.

 

She knocked four times, screaming at him. “Doctor, you can’t do this. You’ll die. Doctor!” He gave her one last look, knowing what was coming. 

 

“I’m sorry. Go do something amazing.” The last thing she saw as he ejected the pod was the General pull out a compact weapon, and shoot him point blank. 

 

The Doctor fell to his knees, “I don’t want to go.” Seconds later, stardust exploded from his mouth, and the ship detonated.


End file.
